Coupling and method of making the same



A ril 5 1927.

p J. w. NAPIER COUPLING AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed June 10,1925 VIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIII mvsmorg James W Na mer ATTORNEY WWJ ZZQPatented Apr. 1927 UNITED "STATES PATENT OFFICE.

cournme aim mn'rnon or: mme ran sum Application filed June 10, 1925.Serial No. 86,122.

a My invention relates to pipe couplings and particularly to steel couplngs.

One object of my invention is to provide a method of constructing pipecouplings and b simillar articles from screw stock or hot short stee IAnother object of my invention .is to provide a steel coupling thatshall be constructed of such hi h sulphur content steel that it will beeasily machinable and less likely to gall in use.-

Another ob'ect of my invention is to rovide a method of welding screwstock w ich will effect a joint without oxidizing or 6 otherwisedestroyin the steel.

Another object o my invention is to provide a couphng that shall beconstructed from sheared bars having the desired cross section of thefinished coupling.

Another object of my invention is to provide a coupling that may betapped without the necessity of boring the same to obtain taperedopenings.

Another object of my invention is to provide a pi e couplin constructedof two semi-cylm rical mem ers that are relatively easily formed.

A further object of my invention is to provide asteel coupling that ischeap to conso struct, that will not gall and that will have the desiredstrength.

Heretofore pipe couplings when made of steel were ve expensive and oftena source of great trou le by reason of the tendency to of such couplingsto gall or strip their threads when fitted to a steel pipe. The

. steel couplin of the prior rt, were made of low sulp ur content basteel because fthe method of fire welding used destroyed all other typesof steel. However such-steel is diflic'ult to thread and the threads areso rough as to, permit ready gxalling with'the attendant stripping ofthe t reads.

present invention contemplates th M prodilction of a steel pipe cou lingwhich is made of screw vstock steel w ich is easily threaded or machinedand whichiroduces a thread which substantially preclu es alling. In viewof the fact thatsuch stee is of so relatively high sulphur content ithas been diflicult to weld-but, I have found that it can besatisfactorily welded by the flash percussive or contact flash pr of eectric welding which processes only heat the surface of contact and,consequently, do not destroy or burn the metal therebyproducing a strongweld.

' With my method we obtain a relatively cheap coupling or similar devicewhich can be easil is sufliciently strong for all applications.

threaded or machined and which.

In the accom anying drawings, Figs. 1

and 2" are two iagrammatic views of dies for forming a coupling inaccordance with my invention.

Fi 3-is a perspective view of one form of coup ing before weldingembodying my in vention.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of another form of coupling before weldingembodying my invention. 1

Fi 5 is a erspective view of a shaped bar rom whic still. another formof coupling embodging my invention may be constructed, an

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a coupling constructed fromthe bar shown in Fig. 5. Y a

In the construction of acoupling or other tubular member b m invention Iplace a bar or plate 7 o reliitively high sulphur content such as .065or higher, commonly called screw stock, in a ress having two dies 8 and9 which are oi such shape that who they are brought together as shown inig. 2 of' the drawings the bar 7 is curved. The bar 7 will be curved bythis process to form a semic lindrical member as shown in Fi 3, or it mab formed into a cylindrica member as s own in 4 by any desired rollingor'forming meth When the member 7 is formed to th'e desired shape it isdisposed in a welding machine or otherwise welded in suchmanner that themetal of the bar 7 is not oxidized or destroyed during the process ofwelding. This may be accomplished in a. non-o idizing atmosphere orpreferably by the ash,

percussive or contact flash methods of electrio welding.

The flash methodconsists connecting the terminals of an electric welder(not shown) to the ends 10'and 11, and then to the ends 12 and 13 to bewelded before they are brought'into engagement. The voltage issufiicientlyhigh to heat the surfaces so I that when the ends arebrought into engagement with pressure they adhere. This sulphur contentsuch as above .065 is not the press, thus suitable for welding by theusual fire welding methodsbut it is excellent for machin-' ing and itproduces a smooth cut which is excellent for threading as it decreasesthe tendency to gall. Furthermore, it may be machined more quickly andeasily than ordinary low sulphur content steel and, consequently, thecost of constructing is decided- 1y reduced. By my method I can greatlyreduce the cost of couplings while at the same time I provide acou lingwhich is more satisfactory than thoseereto made by reason of the removalof the tendency to gall.

It is usual in such couplings to bore a tapered hole in each end of thecoupling and thelf tap the same. This is quite expensive and to obviatethis expense I have provided a bar 14, as shown in Fig. -5, oftriangular she with or without cut away portions 16 at t e edges.

When the bar 14 is formed between the dies 8 and 9 it forms a structuresubstantially as shown in Fig. .6 that is tapered towa its centerportion. These surfaces may be easily tapped to receive the screwthreaded ends of a pipe 18. The cut away portions 16 protect the screwthreads in the cou ling from damage.

- e bar 14 is, of course, made of high sulphur content steel and it iswelded after formingby the flash process.

It is conceivable that the electrical energy may be applied to the barwhile in the press so that it is welded before removing it fromconstruction.

I believe that I have provided an entirely 'new method of makingcouplings which are superior to any heretofore constructed but I 0 notlimit my invention to couplings as it has application sequently, myinvention is not limited to the devices shown and-described herein butmay be variously modified as set forth in the appended claims. t

I claim as my invention:

1. The method of manufacturing a steel pipe coupling which com risesforming steel bar material of relative 8% high sulphur content into a 01inder, fla welding the opposing ends 0 the said materiahand greatlyreducing the cost of' r to any cylindrical memher that 1t is desired toeasily machine. Con- 'couplin which threading the' interior surface ofthe welded cylinder.

2. The method of manufacturing a steel pipe coupling which comprisesforming steel bar material of not substantially below 065% sulphurcontent into a cylinder, flash welding the opposing 'ends of the said material, and threading the interior surface of the weldedcylinder.

3. The method of manufacturing a steel pipe coupling which comprisesrolling a steel bar of relatively high sulphur content into bars eachhaving longitudinally thereof a ridge centrally between the sidesthereof toward which the bars are gradually thinned from the ridge,cutting the bars into suitable lengths, arcuately curving the lengthstransversely of the said ridge with the latter on the concave surfacesthereof, and forming cylindrical shapes therefrom, flash weldin theopposing ends of the lengths, and threading the tapered interior of eachwelded cylinder.

4. The method of manufacturing a steel pipe coupling which comprisesrolling a steel bar of not substantially below .065 sutphur content intobars each having longitudinally thereof a ridge centrally between thesides thereof toward which the bars are gradually thinned from theridge, cutting the bars into suitable lengths, arcuately curving thelengths transversely of the said ridge with the latter on the concavesurfaces thereof, and forming cylindrical shapes therefrom, flashwelding the opposing ends of the lengths, and threading the taperedinterior of each welded cylinder.

- 5. The ,method of manufacturing a steel pipe coupling which comprisesrolling a steel bar of relatively high sulphur content into bars eachhaving longitudinally thereof a ridge centrally between the sidesthereof toward which the bars are gradually thinned from the ridge,simultaneously rolling a recess along each edge on that face of each barwhich has the ridge, cutting the bars into suitable lengths, arcuatelycurving the lengths transversely of the said ridge with the latter onthe concave surfaces thereof, and forming cylindrical shapes therefrom,flash welding the opposing ends of the lengths, and threading thetapered'interior of each welded cylinder.

6. The method of making a pipe coupling which consists in forming acylindrical mem- .ber from sheared arcuately-shaped bar of screw stockmaterial of substantially the same cross-sectional shape as thecross-sectional shape of the couplin electrically welding the endstogether, an then threa ingthe interior surface of the welded cylm er.

7. The method of manufacturing a pipe,

pieceo ferrous bar-material into a cylinder,

consists in bending a single flash welding the opposing ends of the saidmaterial, and threading the interior surface of the welded cylinder.

8. The method of manufacturing a pipe coupling which consists in bendinga single piece of steel bar. material into a cylinder, flash welding theopposing ends of the said material, and threading the interior surfaceof the welded cylinder.

9. The method of manufacturing a pipe coupling which consists in bendinga single piece of screw stock material into a cylinder,

flash welding the opposing ends of the said material, and threading theinterior surface of the welded cylinder,

10. A cylindrical welded steel pipe-coupling blank ready for interiorthreading containing not substantially less than .065% of sulphur. v

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto suhgcribed my name this 6th day ofJune, 192

JAMES W. NAPIER.

